Mexican Moon - Chapter 1

Summary: Bonnie “Bonita” Dorado and Javier Escuella have both been infatuated with the other since Bonita joined the Van Der Linde gang. After the Blackwater robbery gone bad, the gang must flee the law and head East, facing multiple challenges and incidents along the way– however, Bonita and Javier only grow closer as they travel.

Chapter Summary: In the aftermath of the Blackwater robbery and the gang's subsequent move to a snowy hellscape in the mountains, Javier and Bonita try to keep warm.

Rating: Mature

Media: Red Dead Redemption 2

Pairing: Javier Escuella/Bonita Dorado (OC)

Word Count: ~8.8k

CW: Smoking, injuries (nothing graphic), canon typical violence and language

…

Bonita has never liked the cold, and especially not the snow. The warm, dry New Austin climate she grew up in is preferable to this by a million times. So, standing nearly thigh-deep in a drift of snow, trudging through to make her way back to a little cabin part of the gang has settled in, Bonita grits her teeth– not just from the cold, but because of her anger at the cold.

And when she steps into the cabin, the fire burning in the stove in the corner melts away at least some of the snow clung to her boots and skirt, and the sight of one Javier Escuella– her best friend and the object of her affection– melts away the anger she has been feeling. Her jaw loosens and her lips form into a smile, and she drops the pot of stew onto the table, and then the bowls and silverware for it.

“Thought you didn't like doin’ chores for Pearson,” comments Bill as he stands up from a chair and approaches the table to grab some of the stew.

Bonita won't outwardly admit this, but she isn't bringing stew to this cabin for Pearson's sake. She's doing so to see Javier, who follows Bill in line and flashes a smile at her.

“This is a different situation, Williamson,” Bonita says matter-of-factly, opening up the pot and placing the lid aside. She uses the ladle to serve some stew to Bill. “This camp isn’t like the ones we're used to. Someone had to bring food all the way out here, after all.”

Bill tilts his head as he walks off with his bowl. “True, I guess.”

Javier approaches next, and the winter chill fades away from Bonita's body– she's warm down to the bone now. He’s still smiling at her, and it's enough to fight off the cold alone. No poncho, no thick, fur-lined skirt and boots, just the charming smile of her closest friend.

“I think it's good she brought us the stew,” Javier says, his gaze meeting hers as he speaks. “Thanks, Bonita.”

Her eyes light up and blush tinges her skin. “No problem. Anything for you, Javier.”

As she goes to serve the stew, she pauses with the ladle in hand, realizing what she just said. Now, she's frozen just like she had been outside, eyes focused on Javier in a complete daze. How could she have allowed herself to say something like that out loud?

His grin widens. “Anything, Bonita? Really? I'll take you up on that. Can we start with some stew? You're kinda just staring.”

Realizing that she is, in fact, just staring at him, the pink in her face deepens and she shakes herself, literally, physically. Her back-length plait swings in the same motion as she frees herself from her trance.

“Shit. Sorry, Javi. Here you go,” Bonita finally manages to speak. She pours some of the stew into Javier's bowl, giving an awkward smile after, hoping it distracts from her ridiculous little moment only seconds ago.

“It’s okay, it's okay,” he replies with a small laugh. “Thanks. You gonna have some and stay with us? We missed you when we went to take out the O'Driscolls yesterday.”

She sighs, unsure. “I don't think I have time. I do errands now, remember? So I–”

“Aww, come on, Bonita!” Lenny chimes in, popping up seemingly out of nowhere behind Javier. “Stay and eat with us!”

Bonita shakes her head and laughs nervously. “I dunno, guys…”

“Will you just stay so they'll shut the hell up?” Micah asks from across the room, in the chair closest to the stove. “And will you bring mine over here?”

Her expression sours. “I'll stay if you keep your mouth shut. And come get it yourself, I'm not your fucking maid.”

Following what she had just said, Bonita serves Lenny a dish of stew and then makes a bowl for herself, and when Micah approaches, grumbling about how Bonita had given everyone else their food but him, she slams the lid of the pot back on and walks away, nose metaphorically– and somewhat actually– turned up at him.

Taking a seat between Javier and Lenny on the floor beside the wood burning stove, Bonita watches as Javier digs in to his food. When she feels too awkward about it, her view switches to Lenny, and then Bill, who are doing the same, and Micah, who does so as he approaches to sit with the group. Bonita isn't really a fan of stew, but when it's all that Pearson can cook at the time and she's out of personal supplies, she doesn't have much choice.

“Well, ain't you gonna eat?” Micah asks her, his tone condescending and mocking as she pokes at the bowl with her spoon, pushing chunks into the broth and watching them bob back up.

Bonita glares at him as she, although hesitantly, takes a spoonful of stew into her mouth. It's venison– not her meat of choice, so she almost gags at the taste, but nonetheless swallows it, glaring at him the entire time. Micah rolls his eyes at her and continues eating his own food, and Bonita shifts her focus back to Javier.

“You did a good job with sewing up Marston's face,” Javier says, trying to make conversation, never mind John's face has been healing nicely for a few days, and the wound care Bonita had done was finished before that.

“Where'd you learn to do that?” Asks Lenny. “The stitches and stuff.”

Micah scoffs. “She was probably a seamstress or some other such shit before she turned to stealin’. Can't imagine fabric is too different from skin.”

She glares at him again, gripping her spoon so tight it leaves indents in her palms, even through her gloves.

“Actually, I helped out a veterinarian after my parents kicked me out. I learned how to suture there. You think all that girls know how to do is things like sewing? Oh, do you think you could do either of those things? If I'd handed you the suture kit, Marston's face would wind up like a patchwork quilt made by a child. Stick to your own so-called skills, and I will stick to mine.”

Micah, having stormed away from Bonita, slams open the door to the cabin and stomps out angrily.

“I've had enough of you,” he says as he exits, also grumbling some racist and sexist remarks for good measure.

“Thank you,” Lenny breathes a sigh of relief. “I am so sick of that guy hanging around here.”

Bonita shrugs and finishes the last of her stew before speaking. “Well, I won't let him talk to me that way. Maybe he can get that way with others, but not me.”

Reaching over to pat her shoulder, Javier smiles. “And that's one of the great things about you, Bonita. Getting that guy to shut up.”

She smiles back at him. “Someone has to. I swear, Arthur, Grimshaw, and I are the only ones who snap back at him and get anywhere with it.”

Lenny shifts in his spot and looks around, peeking up through the windows. “Speaking of, where is Arthur?”

“Out hunting with Charles, last I heard,” Bill answers. “Hopefully to bring back better meat than what Pearson made this shit with. Which I think was from their last hunt, so I won't get my hopes up.”

Javier, downing the last of his stew directly from the bowl, stands up. “I could go check around camp. Bonita, you want to come?”

She nods in agreement. “Yeah, sure. I'll take the pots and bowls back to Pearson, too.”

After collecting Pearson's supplies from the table, Bonita and Javier depart the cabin, back into the snow. Bonita makes a disgusted face as she steps back into it, and Javier gives a small laugh at her annoyance.

“You really hate this weather, don't you, Bonita?” He asks, walking beside her as she trudges through the drift with a sour expression.

“I'm from New Austin, what do you expect?” Bonita answers, trying to keep up with Javier as they walk. “Don't you hate it, too?”

He shakes his head. “I don't mind it. Nothing like the weather in Mexico, but it's not the worst thing ever.”

“No, it's the worst thing ever,” Bonita declares through gritted teeth as they continue towards Pearson's shack.

Once they arrive, they place the supplies on the counter with a loud, metallic clatter as bowls hit bowls and silverware. Arthur and Charles are there, too, the former skinning a freshly killed deer. As he peels the hide from the carcass, a sickening squelch can be heard, which he makes a face at.

“There they are,” Bonita announces as she points at the two men. “I see the hunt went well.”

Charles shrugs. “It went okay. We only got one deer this time, and a couple of birds.”

“Doesn't sound too bad,” Javier chimes in. “Run into any trouble?”

Arthur stands up after he finishes skinning the carcass, wiping his knife on his pants leg. “None yet.”

Pearson finally approaches from the back of the shack. “Ah, nice! This'll make for some great stew.”

In Bonita's head, she thinks, ‘yay, more venison’ in the most sarcastic way possible. Perhaps the birds Charles mentioned would be better suited for her tastes. At one camp, they had a chicken coop. She misses the fresh chicken that Pearson would cook. Maybe Charles's birds are close enough to such poultry, and not so gamey.

“Oh, Bonnie,” Pearson says when he notices her. “You brought back the cookware, thanks. Did everyone like the stew?”

Before Bonita can make any kind of comment on the lack of seasoning or her personal distaste for venison, Javier speaks in her place.

“It was great, we all loved it,” he says with a smile, urging Bonita to keep quiet with only his eyes. “I'm sure with Arthur and Charles's new kills, it'll be even better next time.”

Pearson smiles brightly in return. “Good, good! And thanks again for helping out, Bonnie. I know you don't like doin’ that kind of chores, but…”

She waves a hand. “Don't mention it. And for the last time, Pearson, call me Bonita. Nobody calls me Bonnie.”

He nods. “Right, Bonita. Well, thanks again.”

Bonita nods in return and crosses her arms across herself, shivering, but also using the position as an excuse to produce a cigarette from her pocket and show it discreetly to Javier, Arthur, and Charles, who nod subtly in understanding when she flicks her eyes from it to them.

“Well, I'll be going now. Got some more to do,” she tells Pearson. “Catch you later.”

The group then goes out to the side of the cabin Dutch, Molly, and Arthur have been staying in, and Bonita hands out cigarettes to the men. She also strikes a match and lights each one for them, resulting in resounding gratitude. They all lean back against the wood of the building and take drags from their cigarettes, sighing smoke and visible breath together into the cold air.

“Saw Micah sulkin’ around like an angry teenager,” Arthur says. “Gonna take a wild guess and say it's somethin’ you did or said, Bonita.”

Javier suppresses a laugh, and Bonita shrugs. “I guess. I kind of snapped at him when we were eating, and I think I pissed him off. Or deflated his ego, letting a girl talk to him that way.”

Arthur, Charles, and Javier all three laugh. There's nothing they appreciate more than Micah being put in his place, especially by one of the girls. Usually, it's Mrs Grimshaw, but today, Bonita had her turn.

The smoking session continues in silence until Charles suddenly remembers something. “Oh, Bonita, I found a trinket on our hike. I think you'll like it.”

With an annoyed sigh, Arthur tilts his head back. “Not the goddamn–”

“Ooh, what a pretty piece of petrified wood!” Bonita exclaims as Charles places a medium-sized chunk of it in the palm of her hand. “Thank you, Charles! You didn't have to give this to me.”

He shakes his head and smiles. “Nah, it's fine, you'd have more use for it than me. Arthur here thinks it's useless, but I know you'll find something to do with it.”

Bonita nods as she pockets the fossil. “I will. Thanks again.”

Following this, the group resumes smoking, the only sound between them being breathing and the howl of wind in the frigid mountain air. Soon enough, Arthur finishes his cigarette, and after bidding them goodbye, goes to see if Dutch has anything for him to do. Not long after, Charles is called away by Pearson for some question about the deer he and Arthur had killed.

This leaves only Javier and Bonita.

They, too, remain nearly silent with each other, just enjoying the fact that they have company. Javier is the one Bonita trusts most out of the men in the Van Der Linde gang– he's her closest friend. That, and she is practically obsessed with him romantically, but she'd rather die than make the first move. Because of these things, any time she spends with Javier is time well spent.

What Bonita doesn't know– or simply is too naive to know– is that Javier feels the same. He shows it through small gestures and conversation, not unlike staying with her to smoke so she isn't alone. Javier, too, is scared to make the first move, especially after the drama of romance resulting in him being wanted dead in Mexico. Yet still, he has a burning desire for Bonita.

“Shit,” Bonita says in frustration, breaking the silence as she digs in her pockets. “Used up my cigarette, and I don't have any more.”

Javier has the faintest ghost of a smirk on his lips, and he takes his own cigarette from between them, then places it between Bonita's.

“Borrow mine,” he tells her, still holding it in his fingers while it rests in her mouth.

Never has Bonita experienced an act so intimate. Not during sex, not in a romantic fashion, not at all. Somehow, the feeling of his fingers, despite being gloved, against her lips is the height of intimacy to her. They'd shared cigarettes before, but never like this. She doesn't even want to take the cigarette from him, in her own hands– it would ruin that feeling.

Their eyes lock as Javier continues to hold that half-finished dart in his fingers. He wonders to himself if Bonita can feel his anxious heartbeat in his fingertips, because he sure can. Eventually, he takes his hand away from the cigarette, slowly and regretfully, passing his index finger over Bonita’s bottom lip as his hand returns to his side. Their eyes still do not break contact.

Shivering, hoping it will pass as a simple cold chill, Bonita inhales hard at the sensation of his finger over her lip, and begins choking on inhaled smoke. She doubles over and punches herself in the chest to try to stop it, and her cheeks turn pink in embarrassment.

“Hey, you okay?” Javier asks nervously, gently holding her shoulder. “You need me to smack you in the back or something?”

Letting out a final couple of coughs and standing up straight again, Bonita shakes her head. “Nah, I'm good. It's okay.”

He laughs, but not in a way to make fun of her. “Whatever you say.”

“Mr Escuella!” Dutch calls from across the path between cabins, approaching them rather slowly due to the snow. “You're on guard duty this evening! Swap with Bill at 11 o'clock!”

Javier groans in annoyance. “Mierda…I've got to go, Bonita.”

She smiles around her cigarette. “I understand. Have fun standing around with a rifle doing fuck all.”

“Yeah, I will,” he says sarcastically as he heads back for the cabin to grab his rifle. “You take care, okay? Whatever task they stick you with, I hope it's warmer than what I've gotta do.”

Bonita nods. “Yeah! Take care!”

After this, Bonita finally finishes Javier's cigarette, then tosses it into the snow. In a turn of events and direction, the approaching Dutch now walks up to her.

“Hi. Is there something I can do for you?” Bonita asks with a tilt of the head.

“I want you to guard for the next few hours as well, Miss Dorado. There's a spot south of here that could use a lookout, and I trust that you can do that job. Can you do that job, Bonita?”

Internally, Bonita rolls her eyes, but externally, she answers, “Sure. But do you really trust me to go alone? I mean, Javier could come with me and–”

“No,” Dutch interrupts her, “I trust that you can do this on your own. Grab your repeater, and Mr Bell will show you where to go.”

This time, Bonita does roll her eyes. “Micah? Really?”

“Yes, really,” Dutch says sternly. “Your outburst towards him this afternoon just proves that you two need to bond more. We do want to foster a great sense of trust and faith in one another, and fighting is no way to do that, Miss Dorado.”

Only seconds later, Micah walks up with Bonita's repeater, retrieved from her horse's saddle, then thrusts it into her arms. “Here you go, princess. Let's go to the lookout.”

Bonita wants to snap at Micah, perhaps even smack him with her rifle. But instead, after looking at Dutch, she sighs and nods in a strange combination of defeat and annoyance.

“Lead the way.”

Though Dutch looks satisfied with Bonita's feigned kindness and acceptance, Micah is not. Once they are a good distance out of earshot, Micah finally speaks to her again.

“So, you done bein’ a bitch today, Dorado?” He asks as they head towards the path that leads to the lookout.

She gives him a sarcastic smile, closer to a sneer. “I'm never done being a bitch, Micah. Someone around here's got to do it.”

“And Marston don't count?” Micah asks with a scoff. “He's the biggest bitch I know.”

This time, her laugh is genuine. “I mean, he's not the same kind of bitch as I am. He is…hmm, I don't know the right words.”

Micah looks up in thought. “Whiny? Never shuts the fuck up?”

Bonita shrugs. “I mean, he did just get his face ripped up by wild animals. What's your excuse?”

He looks offended. “Dutch said to play nice. That ain't nice.”

With a smirk, Bonita quickens her gait and walks in front of him. “You called me a bitch first. Plus, Dutch can't hear us.”

“Wait up, I'm supposed to be leading you!” Micah shouts after her, stumbling through the snow to catch up with her.

The two finally reach the lookout and Bonita kneels down and reloads her rifle. Despite not needing to be there anymore, Micah hovers over her.

“The fuck are you doing?” Bonita asks, standing back up after she finishes reloading. “This isn't a job for two. Get out of here.”

“Not a job for two…I heard you ask for Javier to come with you,” Micah responds, irritated.

Bonita nods her head to the side. “I did. The difference is that I am close friends with Javier, and I enjoy his company. Can't say the same about you. So go on and let me do my job.”

“Whatever, bitch,” Micah grumbles as he departs, leaving Bonita at the lookout alone.

It's not a bad spot. The snow isn't too deep, and a wall of the mountain shields her from the wind. Still, it's quite boring to wait around for nothing to happen. It's not like people even know where they are, much less someone who cares to harm them. They'd wiped the O'Driscolls nearby off the face of the earth, so there really isn't anyone to worry about in her eyes.

Bonita stands guard for a good hour before thinking to herself that the job is stupid and boring, and thus slings her repeater over her back and retrieves her journal and pen from her satchel. Just below an entry about checking John's wounds a few hours ago, before she'd served stew, Bonita begins to write a new one.

“Dutch sent me out on guard duty tonight. That's a first. He wouldn't let Javier come with me and I was angry, but I got even angrier when Micah was the one to lead me to the lookout. I already chewed him out at lunch, but it looks like he still wants to be…well, Micah. He called me a bitch when he left me at the lookout. I don't care personally, but he really shouldn't be calling people that. I've heard him say it to the other girls, to John, to Arthur. He's such a piece of shit sometimes.

Forget Micah. The lookout is so boring. Everything is clear, and even if someone shows up, a shot to the head will stop them from actually coming up to camp. I could hit them from down there, closer to Javier. I don't even know why Dutch asked me to do this. Maybe it's a consequence of joining the side of the men versus doing chores like the women. Regardless, I hope this doesn't become a regular thing.

Also, Javier gave me his cigarette today. He held it between my lips, too. When his finger touched my lower lip, I reacted like an idiot and started coughing. It was so embarrassing! He seemed to be concerned and didn't laugh at me, but I still felt like a fool. The only good thing about Dutch putting us on guard duty is that it was my saving grace out of that situation. But still, it's incredibly boring. I wonder how Javier is taking it.”

After finishing her journal entry, Bonita puts away the book and pen once more and checks her pocket watch. Thirty minutes until 11, the time she’s allowed to go back to the cabin and get some sleep, and the time Javier is allowed to do the same.

To pass the time, Bonita hums one of the songs Javier wrote himself and plays around the campfire– she's memorized every word of it, every chord, everything. She doesn't know the name, or if Javier even titled it at all, but she loves it. The lyrics, all in Spanish, speak of a promise to give something silver to someone cherished by the narrator. Bonita can't imagine why, considering the only silver thing Javier owns is his revolver, and there's no way he'd give that to anyone. Perhaps it's just a story woven into a song.

Every few minutes, she anxiously checks the time, and it finally strikes 11. Bonita breathes a sigh of relief and begins to head back towards camp. Halfway back to camp, she passes Lenny and they exchange hellos and goodbyes, then head in their respective directions. Back at camp, Bonita looks for Javier at his guard spot, but Bill is already in his place.

“Hey Bill. Do you know where Javier went?” She asks.

“Hell, I dunno,” Bill answers. “Probably to go have a smoke, if I know Javier.”

“Thanks,” Bonita replies, heading towards the side of the cabin where they typically do so.

Suddenly, she's grabbed by the wrist and pulled in between the cabins. She's prepared to strike whoever it was with the stock of her repeater, but relents and puts down her rifle when she realizes it’s just who she was looking for that has pulled her into the small space.

“Hey,” Javier says with a bright smile, holding Bonita's shoulders. “Sorry to scare you, I just wanted to catch you before Grimshaw made you go back to the girls’ cabin.”

Bonita eyes him curiously. “And why's that?”

“Because…” He begins, taking her hand in his and leading her to the cabin he stays in with Bill, Lenny, Micah, and Charles, “everyone else is on guard duty now, so we can have this fire all to ourselves!”

Bonita smiles and shuts the door behind them. “You think they'll let me get away with staying in here tonight? Dutch likes to keep me with the girls, and the girls away from the men when it comes to bedtime. You think he or Grimshaw won't rip me out of here the first chance they get?”

Javier sighs. “C'mon, it doesn't have to be all night! We can just hang out for a little while, and then you can slip off back to the girls’ cabin. Plus, John is in that cabin, so Dutch can't say anything about the girls being away from the men.”

With a shrug, she agrees. “True. Okay, I'll stay with you here for a while. What do you want to do?”

Javier goes to the back of the cabin and grabs his guitar from beside the bed, then sits down next to the stove. “Want to do a song?”

“And wake up the whole camp?” Bonita asks. “I mean, I'm all for a song, but…”

He waves a hand dismissively. “Ah, they'll be fine. C'mon, you know this one.”

Javier begins to play a very familiar song, the same one that she had been humming at the lookout. As they both sit down, she begins to hum what would be the lyrics.

“No singing?” Javier asks disappointedly. “You can sing, just be quiet.”

“Humming is quieter,” Bonita argues with a small laugh on the end of her sentence. “Now keep playing for me.”

Javier continues the song, and Bonita continues to hum it. Combining the relaxing music with the warmth of the fire and the closeness with Javier, she soon becomes tired, and so does he.

“Alright, that's enough of that,” Javier says with an exhausted sigh, placing the guitar against the wall. “Come sit closer to me.”

“Why?” Bonita asks playfully, crawling over to sit shoulder to shoulder with him. “What's wrong with where I was at?”

Javier develops a tinge of blush on his cheeks. “Nothing, I just think that since it's so cold, we should stay close together. For warmth.”

Bonita's heart begins pounding. “Y-Yeah, huddling for warmth. That's a good idea.”

Getting into a more relaxed position with his legs outstretched, Javier sighs with content. Bonita awkwardly curls up next to him and stares at the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance. She has to. Focusing on Javier right now would be too much.

“How did your first guard duty go?” Javier asks tiredly. “Boring?”

“Very,” Bonita replies. “I don't know how you guys stand it.”

Javier tilts his head and looks at her, directly in the eyes, a playful grin on his face. “Usually, I just focus on something else I'm interested in.”

Bonita nods slowly in what she thinks is understanding, looking thoughtful. “I see. Like writing a new song?”

Embarrassed that Bonita was oblivious to his blatant flirtation, Javier sighs and nods. “Yeah, sometimes. I get a lot of ideas on guard duty. I think about…a lot of things.”

“Do you write your thoughts down?” Bonita asks, looking back into his eyes. “I stopped to write in my journal when I was up there. Do you have one?”

Javier shakes his head. “Nah. I probably should though, right? Easier to keep track of things.”

“Yeah, it is.”

The two then go silent and look at the fire again. Before Bonita even knows it, Javier falls asleep, his head slightly leaning against hers. Her body burns just as intensely as the fire in the stove, as she's embarrassed by the situation, but she isn't about to waste an opportunity to sleep with Javier, so she closes her eyes and allows herself to drift off, too.

A few hours later, around 5 in the morning, Bonita's eyes open wide. She looks over to the sleeping Javier, and while the feeling of the two of them cuddling up to each other is something she wants to savor forever, she has to get back to the girls’ cabin before everyone is up.

Bonita gently slides out from next to Javier and helps his sleeping body slump against the nearby chair instead of her, then quickly rushes out of the cabin and sneaks over to the girls’. Luckily, no one else is up yet, not even Abigail to check on John, so Bonita heads to her bedroll and curls up in the blankets.

It's nothing compared to the warmth of Javier's body against hers.

She manages to fall asleep well into the afternoon. The first to approach her when she wakes is, as she imagined, Mrs Grimshaw.

“Miss Dorado!” The older woman shouts with her hands on her hips. “After you were done guarding last night, why didn't you come to bed?”

Bonita rubs a hand over her face and groans, then proceeds to lie about what she was doing that night. “I was out looking for more treasures. Charles found me a cool piece of petrified wood, and I wanted more.”

Mrs Grimshaw sighs. “Well, you should have at least told someone. We were all worried sick!”

“Not worried enough to try to find me though,” Bonita mutters, sitting up straight. “I won't do it again, Mrs Grimshaw.”

“You'd better not!” She says sternly as she walks away.

Bonita mocks Mrs Grimshaw under her breath as she stands up and begins to leave the cabin. As she's almost at the door, Mary-Beth motions her over to herself, Tilly, and Karen.

“What do you need?” Bonita asks, standing above them as they sit on the floor.

Tilly starts giggling. “Were you really out there looking for treasures, Bonita?”

Rolling her eyes, Bonita nods. “Yes, I was. Why do you ask?”

“Because we know you weren't really looking for treasure,” Mary-Beth says, a knowing tone to her words.

“I don't know what you mean.” Bonita remains as stone-faced as she can.

Karen sighs and grabs Bonita by the poncho, pulling her down to her level.

“Hey, what the fuck–”

“You were with Javier, weren't you?” Karen asks in a low voice, a devious grin on her face.

Tilly and Mary-Beth begin giggling again. Bonita's face turns pink, and she crosses her arms.

“No, I told you, I was looking for–”

“Did you fuck him?” Karen asks, almost loud enough for others to hear.

Bonita slaps a hand over Karen's mouth. “Shut up, Karen! I didn't do that!”

Though it's muffled, Karen says, “but you were with him.”

With an exasperated exhale, Bonita drops her hand from Karen's face. “Yeah, I was. So what?”

Mary-Beth scoots closer to them. “So, you've been trying to get alone with him for months!”

“What did you guys do?” Tilly asks, also moving into the circle.

“Nothing interesting,” Bonita says with annoyance. “He played guitar for me and we sat by the fire together.”

“And?” Karen asks, motioning with her hand for Bonita to say more.

“And nothing. I mean, we fell asleep on each other, but–”

“Oh my god!!” They all three squeal at once.

“That's so cute!” Mary-Beth says with glee.

“So you guys slept together?” Tilly asks with excitement.

“They didn't really sleep together,” Karen says, annoyed that her friend did not make a move on the object of her affection. “Bonita, why did you miss that opportunity? Nobody would've heard you.”

Bonita groans. “Because it wasn't like that! I don't even know if he likes me in that way…we're best friends.”

Karen looks at her like she's an idiot. “You serious right now? You've gotta be fuckin’ with me.”

“He looks at you like you're art!” Mary-Beth says wistfully.

“Yeah, if starin’ and droolin’ over her like a dog is how you look at art,” Karen says with a scoff. “You really don't ever catch him lookin’ at you?”

Shaking her head, Bonita wraps her arms around her knees. “No, I…I guess not. I really thought he just likes me as a friend.”

Karen points at Bonita. “Look, Javier is crazy for you, and you're crazy for not noticing. Soon as you get the chance, you better make your feelings known, Bonnie Dorado. So help me Jesus.”

Bonita nods and looks away absently. “Yeah, I was kind of planning on him doing that first…”

“Nope!” Tilly declares. “You’ve gotta do it.”

“Yep,” Mary-Beth agrees, “and if you don't, you'll just remain friends forever.”

As she stands up, Bonita dusts off her skirt. “Thanks for the advice. Maybe you should take it yourself, Mary-Beth. That whole, “remaining friends forever.” You've made less moves than I have on–”

“Sh-shush!” She whisper-yells, pushing Bonita at the hip. “This ain't about me! Now you go find him, and you do somethin’ about your situation!”

Bonita waves as she departs. “Whatever. See you girls later.”

Back outside, Bonita takes what they'd said to heart. Javier really looks at her like that? And she could really make the first move? Arguably, he already had, by falling asleep on her. But maybe that isn't a big enough move. Maybe Bonita has to do something with more intention behind it.

It's notably a bit warmer outside, and some of the snow has started to melt, revealing green grass. A welcome change of walking space. Bonita finds Hosea standing around, looking a bit anxious, and approaches him.

“Hi, Hosea. You seen Javier around here?” She asks.

Hosea sighs. “Oh, he's part of that stupid plan of Dutch's…robbing a train, come on now! I can't believe they all agreed to do that…”

Bonita raises her eyebrows. “Who's “they?” And what train?”

“Dutch, Bill, Lenny, Arthur, Micah, Charles, and Javier. They're robbing a train belonging to some big and rich man named Leviticus Cornwall. I don't really trust it, but…it's what they decided to do to make us some money to…well, Dutch calls it “retiring.” I don't know about that.”

Bonita rubs her temples. “Dios mío…should I go after them?”

Hosea shakes his head and holds Bonita's shoulder. “Don't do it, Bonita. I know you want to help, but I think it's a mistake already. I don't want you to be a part of that mistake.”

“You underestimate me,” Bonita says with disdain, shaking her shoulder to get Hosea's hand off of it. “I'm going after them. Tell me where they went.”

Although reluctantly, Hosea points in the direction they'd gone. “That way. Follow the tracks.”

Bonita nods. “Thanks. I won't let anything go wrong.”

Hosea shakes his head as Bonita whistles for her horse, Fresca, and hops onto the animal's back. She waves goodbye to Hosea and speeds off in the direction he said the guys had gone in, soon finding the tracks. Following them for a while, she eventually finds the men riding together.

“¡Oye!” She calls, riding closer to them. “Want to fill me in on this mission?”

“Bonita!” Javier calls back. “The hell are you doing here?”

“Hosea told me what you guys were doing! I came to help!”

Micah furrows his eyebrows. “Like we need your help, bitch!”

“Micah!” Dutch scolds him. “I am sorry for what he just said to you, Miss Dorado! You can help, just follow the rest of us and we'll fill you in!”

“Are you serious?” Micah asks, glaring back at Bonita. “She's just gonna slow us down, Dutch!”

“If Bonita wants to help, then we'll let her!” Arthur snaps. “She's just as crazy as us to try this, so why not?!”

Javier slows down his horse, Boaz, to match up with Bonita and Fresca. “Bonita, seriously, you don't have to do this,” he says with concern. “I don't want you to get hurt.”

Bonita shakes her head. “I'm just here to help, I'll be fine. Get back up there with the others, Javi.”

“You come with me,” Javier replies, nodding in the direction of their companions. “Bill's gonna blow up the train, it's gonna be awesome.”

“Whatever you say,” Bonita says with a small laugh, following the men.

As they make some progress and ride up to a ridge, they spot Bill, who is off his horse and sitting by a detonator adjacent to the tracks. Dynamite, really? Bonita thinks. But, luckily, she's not the only one to think of Bill as an idiot, because the dynamite doesn't go off as the train passes over it and he attempts to set off the explosives. Bill curses in anger as he tries repeatedly to detonate the explosives to no avail.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Dutch says.

“Where did you find that moron?!” Arthur asks in annoyance.

“You said it was fine,” Dutch reminds Arthur, referring to the explosives.

Arthur scoffs. “Oh, so it's my fault?”

Watching the two squabble, Javier hops off of Boaz and urges Bonita and the others to do the same. “Well, come on!”

She jumps off of Fresca and runs along with Javier and Lenny, with Arthur not far behind, still arguing with Dutch from a distance. They all run until they reach a tunnel, and prepare to jump onto the train.

“You sure you're up for this?” Arthur asks Bonita.

“Don't doubt me!” She snaps.

“Here we go!” Javier shouts before jumping.

The group then leaps forward, only it doesn't go as great as they'd hoped. Only Arthur makes it onto the train in a clean jump– Lenny nearly falls, dangling from one of the cars, and Javier stumbles off, falling on the ground. Bonita initially makes it onto the train, but when she notices Javier, she jumps off.

Rolling over in the dirt, Bonita eventually stops and stands up, coughing hard. She spots Javier, still sitting in the dirt himself, and runs over to him.

“Shit, Javi, you hurt?” She asks, helping him up.

He shakes his head, and he's coughing too. “I don't think so. Got the wind knocked out of me for sure.”

Bonita laughs breathily. “Same. Let's get back to camp, there's no way we're catching up to them.”

“Yeah…” Javier sighs, shifting his weight as he stands. “Damn, my ribs…maybe I'm more hurt than I thought.”

“I'll help you out when we get back to camp, yeah?” Bonita offers, whistling for her horse. “Stay close to me.”

Javier whistles for his horse, too, and soon both animals arrive. They get on their horses and return to camp– since everyone else is robbing the train, the cabin from before is empty again.

“Come on, in here,” Bonita says, throwing an arm over Javier’s shoulder. “I'll get something for the pain. Wait for me.”

“That's all I ever do,” Javier says softly as he sits on the lowest bunk of the bed and Bonita departs.

They're going to be alone in this cabin again, this time with the vulnerability of injury. If I don't try to get closer to her now, Javier thinks, I'll never have her. He anxiously waits for Bonita's return, and she comes back with a health cure and a bag full of…something.

“Here, drink this,” she says, urging him to take the health cure. “It should dull the pain.”

Javier takes a swig of it and makes a face at the bittersweet taste. “Thanks. And what's the other thing?”

“It's ice!” Bonita says excitedly, kneeling at Javier’s side. “I broke up some of the frozen water in the troughs and put it in a sack. Hold it on your ribs, it'll help.”

He laughs and places his hand over hers, then pushes the bag of ice against his ribs. “Oh, Bonita. What would we do without your veterinary medical knowledge?”

She scoffs. “Well, Marston would probably be dead from blood loss or infection, for one.”

Javier nods and grins. “He probably would. You're a good caretaker for humans and animals, Bonita. You ever consider a career in medicine?”

Bonita waves her free hand. “Yeah, like patients want a thief and murderer as their nurse.”

“Well, I do,” Javier responds, a softer tone to his voice.

“That's because you, too, are a thief and murderer,” Bonita giggles. “Now, finish that health cure.”

Javier groans. “It tastes so bad, Bonita. I'm gonna throw up if you make me drink the rest.”

She clicks her tongue. “Suit yourself. We'll let the ice dull the pain, then.”

“And, speaking of that,” Javier says with effort, “could you move the ice up a little bit?”

Only now does it hit her that not only is she the one holding the ice pack on Javier's side, but his hand is over hers.

“N-no problem,” she says nervously, slowly running the ice pack up Javier's torso.

He winces at the pain, then looks at Bonita. “Thanks for coming back for me. It means a lot.”

She smiles. “Of course. I couldn't just leave you there. The others have that train covered for sure. And I care about you, Javi. So naturally I'm going to do my best to get you feeling better.”

“I'm already feeling better,” he says, “just because you're here.”

This lights her face up with blush unlike anything he's ever said or done.

“R-really?” she asks nervously.

“Yes,” Javier responds. “Come over here. Come close like you were last night.”

Although she feels like she may faint, Bonita crawls onto the bed and over to Javier's side and leans against him. He shifts so that his shoulder is more available to her, and she nestles her head against it. His free hand, the one not resting over hers holding the ice pack, snakes around to her back.

For a while, they sit together like this, savoring each other's warmth, each other's touch. The fingers of their hands holding the ice pack lace together, and Bonita’s free hand rests against Javier's thigh. And, just like the night before, Javier quickly falls asleep. Bonita isn't the least bit tired, so she just remains still, keeping that ice pack in place and the rest of her body interlocked with his.

Eventually, the ice in the pack begins to melt, and Bonita has to, unfortunately, move her hand from his and toss the pack aside, so that the melting ice doesn't get his clothing wet. Javier stirs when she does this, wincing as he shifts to look at her.

“What's wrong?” He asks, still half asleep.

“The ice melted,” she tells him. “Didn't want it to get on your clothes.”

“Oh,” he replies, “well thanks. Are you still going to sit with me, even though the ice pack is melted? I was kind of getting used to you being there, to be honest…”

Bonita smiles. “Of course I will. All night, if I have to.”

“Mm, okay…you not worried that Dutch or Miss Grimshaw will come tear you out of here? You were pretty scared of it last night.”

She scoffs. “They can't kick me out now, I'm taking care of you! They'll just have to deal with it.”

Javier smiles. “I guess they will.”

They're both smiling now, all of the awkwardness and embarrassment they'd normally feel in such close contact is gone. Both of them feel so…at home. Like this is what they've meant to be doing their whole lives. For just a moment, they forget about their pasts, their crimes– hell, even the fact that they're still committing them. It's absolute bliss.

Javier's eyes begin to close, and Bonita thinks he is going back to sleep, but only at first– it's soon, when he begins to lean closer to her, that she realizes he's going to kiss her. Under most circumstances, Bonita would have been stunned and run off like a scared animal, but not tonight. She leans close to him and closes her own eyes, and their lips brush over each other before making any true contact…

And then Dutch slams the door open.

Both Javier and Bonita jolt out of their own little world and jump at the situation. Though they should be embarrassed, they simply…aren't. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. There is something to be surprised by, though, and that is Dutch's next words;

“Mr Escuella, Miss Dorado, start packing, because we are moving camp!”

“Wait, what?” Javier asks. “Why?”

“The man we robbed, Leviticus Cornwall…Well, I'll explain more later. The train robbery was a success, and we are moving on! Get packing, both of you!”

Bonita looks at Javier when Dutch leaves to go scream at everyone else to pack their things. He looks back at her. While the romantic moment they'd just had was all they want to experience, both know that it has to stop for now, and Bonita stands up to leave.

“Will you be able to do things yourself, are you feeling better?” Bonita asks before departing.

Javier nods. “I'm good. You made me feel much better. Go on and pack your things before he yells at you again.”

She returns the gesture. “Good. I'm so glad. Once we're on the road again, I'll see you, okay?”

“I'll see you,” he says with a warm smile, and waves goodbye to her as she heads back outside.

Back in the girls’ cabin, Bonita wraps up her bedding into a neat roll, then tosses it over her shoulder. After picking up her bag of trinkets, she heads out, weaving through a crowd of the others as they frantically prepare for the move themselves. Outside, she whistles for Fresca, who quickly meets her rider, and Bonita tosses her bedroll and trinket bag over Fresca’s back.

Though she's taken care of her own things, Bonita feels a bit guilty about everyone else scrambling to get things together, so she sighs and heads off to join the other girls as they bring supplies to a wagon.

After finishing that up, Bonita is finally free to return to Fresca and prepare to leave. As she mounts the blue roan, she also pats her neck, and then takes the reins into her hands. The entire gang soon begins to leave down the trail through Colter, and Bonita tries to ride through the crowd to reach Javier.

Eventually pulling up beside him, Fresca and Boaz's hoofbeats in sync, Bonita smiles over at Javier. He smiles back, a sparkle in his eye. There's more intention behind this smile, more affection. More than just friendship. At least, Bonita thinks so…

“You ready to move?” He calls to her. “They're saying the new place might be all the way down in New Hanover!”

She nods, her dark, braided hair flying behind her. “Yeah, I know! It'll take days!”

“Probably going to be a couple of stops in between. At least, I hope we aren't going straight there…”

To Javier, Bonita, and many other camp members’ delight, they make a temporary stop on the Ambarino side of the Ambarino and New Hanover border. The camp they set up is only for the next night, and then it will be straight for a place Hosea calls Horseshoe Overlook. But for now, a rudimentary little site is pitched in the mountains, though further down and not so cold. It's lacking snow, and that's Bonita's favorite part about the place.

Since the weather has changed so drastically, Bonita switches outfits. While she keeps the poncho and shirt, she rolls up its sleeves and trades the thick, warm skirt for a pair of black leather pants and her snow boots are replaced by a pair of cowboy boots with plated toes, somewhat similar to Micah's, to her distaste. However, she’s had this pair for quite some time, and isn't about to change her look just because some guy she isn’t fond of has the same pair.

As night falls, everyone prepares for bed, knowing they'll wake up incredibly early. All of the other girls sleep together, nearly in a pile, but not Bonita. She ventures off into the woods for a bit, not tired in the least, to have a cigarette, now having retrieved a full pack from her belongings. The sound of leaves crunching under her boots and animals chittering in the forest is all that can be heard, and it's nice.

But birds of a feather flock together, and Bonita is not the only one smoking in the woods. When she arrives at a clearing, there is Javier, leaning against a tree and enjoying a cigarette of his own. Bonita walks up and leans against the same tree, its thick trunk being wide enough for both of them.

“You've always been a night owl too,” Javier greets her, smirking around his cigarette. “I was kind of wondering when you'd show up.”

She gives a small laugh. “Well, fate always seems to find a way to throw us together.”

Javier tilts his head and looks into her eyes, his gaze softening. “You believe in fate, Bonita?”

With a sigh, she taps the ashes from her cigarette, avoiding making direct eye contact with Javier. “I don't know. In my little trinket hunts, I used to come across these cards. Tarot cards, they're supposed to tell your future. I once found a full deck, and the woman I would sell the trinkets I didn't want to gave me a reading.”

“A reading?” Javier asks, his look remaining the same. “What, like fortune telling?”

“Yeah,” Bonita says, taking a drag and looking up towards the sky as she exhales. “It's some kind of fortune telling.”

He smiles. “And what was your fortune?”

Bonita actually looks at him square in the face for once, vulnerability in her own expression. “She told me that I was supposed to meet someone very important very soon, that it would turn my life around. A month later, I met you and joined the gang.”

Javier continues to smile at her, but it changes. It becomes softer, yet more genuine. “So it made you believe in fate?”

“I guess so,” Bonita says, barely above a whisper, now noting how close Javier has gotten to her.

As if something in both of them snaps, they drop their half-used cigarettes to the ground and step on them to oust them, and latch onto each other. Bonita's small, thin hands splay against Javier's jaw and she pulls his face down to meet hers, and his tangle in her hair and pull her head up to meet his. They finally kiss, a real kiss, passionate and rough and messy.

Between kisses, they rest their foreheads together and laugh, out of breath, then go right back to it. And between those subsequent kisses, both of them mutter a long overdue phrase against the other's cheek or neck;

“I love you.”

They continue to breathe out those three words any time their mouths aren't connected, laughing behind closed lips as they press together. Bonita moves her hands down Javier’s jaw and neck and they finally rest on his chest, pulling him closer by his shirt. Javier’s own hands wander, but his go all the way down to her hips, thumbs rubbing circles against her body.

Before Bonita can even react to the sensation, they're interrupted once again. Someone is stomping through the woods, and it's made clear by their voice who it is.

“Bonita!” Shouts Mrs Grimshaw. “Bonnie Dorado, you had better get yourself back over to this camp! You can go a night without a cigarette! Don't make me come drag you back!”

Bonita throws her head back in annoyance. “Fuck! I've gotta go.”

“Yeah, I know,” Javier says with disappointment. “I'll catch back up at camp a few minutes after you.”

“Okay. I'll see you in the morning,” she tells him, giving him a peck on the cheek before running back towards camp. “I'm on my way, Mrs Grimshaw!”

Once both are back at camp, everyone is now in their own bedroll. Bonita wants to fight everything that is established and crawl over to Javier, but she can't, so she thrashes all night in a restless sleep, wanting nothing more than to have his hands on her again. And Javier barely sleeps himself, longing to put his hands on her. He tries and tries but only gets a total of two hours of sleep. Bonita gets a similar amount.

In the morning, there's no time to continue where they left off. Everyone is bustling around, rushing to get things put away and getting ready to head down to New Hanover. Amidst the chaos, Bonita is bumped into by someone– she doesn't know who to blame– and drops her trinket collection. At first, she's enraged, but upon finding out none of the trinkets are broken, she simply sighs and scoops them up. Among the trinkets is a particular item that feels fateful, feels tied to the night before–

The one tarot card she kept.

The Lovers.

Smiling at what is either a coincidence or fate, she scoops up the card and tucks it into her boot, hops onto Fresca’s back, and joins the others as they ride to Horseshoe Overlook. And as they ride, Boaz and Fresca are side by side, their riders sneaking smiles and glances at each other the entire trip.